Distant Light
by Succubus-Claw
Summary: Fangrai fic-My vision of Lightning reuniting with Fang in the Dead Dunes. Rated M for adult themes and ladys' sexytimes. Lightning/Fang are my OTP, so while creating this story I imagined them being a couple since the first game, hence the bits of drama in this story. Enjoy!
1. Prologue

_Well, that was...awkward._

Still confused by overly excited bandit's behaviour, Lightning watched as Adonis's figure swiftly disappeared in the darkness of the desert night.

"So... this must mean I'm a part of a bandit gang now. Wonderful." She couldn't suppress an eye-roll. Most of the afternoon and evening spent trekking back and forth through the vast Dead Dunes in the scorching sun, looking for the damned bandit village only to find more questions instead of answers, more silly quests rather than solid evidence that could help to understand she was even moving in the right direction. And now she apparently had made herself a local celebrity by stopping a magic wind-storm. _How was all this even remotely helpful?... _The day was near its end, and Lightning had a long walk back to Ruffian ahead of her.

"Great, just...great." She rolled her eyes again, sighed and started walking. "What a waste of time, why couldn't I have just went in the bandit camp, found this infamous bandit leader and beat the truth out of him?! Or...just beat him. And everyone who would have tried to stop me," Lightning mumbled to herself grudgingly.

"Wow, Light. You seem to be in a friendly mood tonight, huh?" Hope's voice chirped, somewhat too happily, in her earpiece.

"Hope, please. Not now."

Lightning realised Hope's help was crucial in her quest ever since she took on a Saviour's role, but sometimes he seriously tested Lightning's patience. Especially in moments like these. Thankfully, this time Hope listened and stayed quiet, so Lightning could use the time to think in relative silence, even though she still couldn't figure out why exactly she felt so...annoyed. Or was it even annoyance she was feeling? Was she feeling at all? She wasn't sure, about anything any more. All kinds of thoughts and memories rampaged through her mind, colliding, disappearing, reappearing and making a complete mess in the process. Total confusion, that's what she felt. Emptiness inside of her that not only couldn't be filled but felt like it's a bizarre living being with a mind of its own. _How am I supposed to deal with all this if my only allies are two kids and I cannot fully trust either of them?... _Funny, ever since being woken up from her crystal stasis, all she had felt was cold determination in pursuing her goals. But... all that had happened in the last couple of days in the Wildlands, failure to save Caius, coupled with unwanted, inconvenient remarks by Lumina raised too many questions, wreaking havoc and creating uncertainty in Lightning's usually steady mind.

A sudden gush of surprisingly cold wind made Lightning stop abruptly at the top of a rather high dune, interrupting the unpleasant line of thought. She took a deep breath and exhaled, closing her eyes and trying to get her unruly mind under control. _Focus, soldier, always keep your focus_. Eyes still closed, she listened into the desert night. Wind blowing and moving around sand, leaving long streaks in the dunes. A loud shriek of animal dying, hunted somewhere far away by something stronger and faster than itself. A faint sound of the ocean, its waves clashing against the shore. The steady sound of her own heartbeat.

Lightning opened her eyes. She would have said she felt tired, but it wasn't really tiredness, at least not a physical one. More like a weird mix of weariness, anxiety and restlessness. Weight of entire civilization on her shoulders...and crushing loneliness, something she never even thought she would feel so sharply as she did now. _God, if I could just... _She wanted this burden to be taken away, at least for a short time, forget about everything, recharge...be like the old Lightning again - clear goal, clear targets, flawless execution, no sidetracks. A sad smile broke out on her lips. _When was the last time you heard of a Saviour of Souls taking a break? It's not long now, anyway. Remember why you're doing all this for. He promised to bring Serah back._

Lightning shook her head to stop her hair from falling in front of her eyes, then looked forward - the blinking lights of Ruffian could be seen not so far below, the bandit village still buzzing with life even at this hour. Squaring her shoulders, she started sliding down the dune.


	2. Chapter 1

Tobias's General store was the first stop when Lightning got back to Ruffian - all the day's fighting had significantly dwindled her remedy reserves. If only someone had told her earlier the desert is packed with enormous monsters during the daytime, as if the sun was able scorch out the nastiest, most perilous wildlife out of the desert sand.

As soon as she stepped closer to the bandit settlement, however, Lightning realised things have changed around here - it looked like just about everyone knew who she was and what she'd done with the crux. _Well, I guess gawking openly is better than hostile staring anyway_. Passing several people, all of whom appeared to be happily drunk, Lightning entered in what could be called a central hall and scanned the room, ignoring all the stares and remarks directed her way. The place was like a beehive, all sorts of voices coming from all sides, some off-tune guitar playing, singing, occasional shout mingling with dog barks. Forge, outfitter, eatery...bar_. Cosy_. Lightning would have gladly downed a couple of the strongest drinks her new bandit-buddies could serve, but, as always, duty had to come first - there was a boss to meet before the night ended. Spotting a bright red leather jacket of Adonis in the crowd, Lightning started approaching him slowly.

"Good job again on the trial. Impressive. You ready to go to meet the boss now?" The tall man asked in a much friendlier fashion than earlier this day, when he sent Lightning to deal with the storm. Briefly, Lightning wondered what's his position in a gang, if he was some sort of boss's right hand or merely an errand-boy as she was trying to figure out what kind of a person this mysterious bandit leader was and what to expect from him. This was futile, of course, so Lightning simply nodded to Adonis and they started walking along the narrow passageway that almost looked like a cave. Finally Adonis signalled for them to stop, as the two approached an entrance of a brightly lit room.

"Here she is, boss. The new recruit with the crazy powers. It was just like you said, the crux lit up like a candle!" Adonis proudly boomed, introducing 'the new recruit'.

Lightning drew in a sharp breath as soon as her eyes fixated on the female figure in the centre of the room, casually sitting with her back to the entrance, her legs perched on top of a massive writing table. Even without seeing the woman's face, Lightning knew exactly who that was, and sudden flash of nausea ran through her body, leaving her feeling dizzy. She realised she couldn't move a muscle and her breathing had turned fast and shallow. _No. No, God, please no, not her... Out of all the people in the world, why... _

"Perfect timing..." A deep, smoky voice with an unmistakeable accent_. No... _

The bandit boss gracefully jumped from her seat and turned around. "Glad you could make it. Took you long enough, didn't it?"

"Fang..." Lightning choked out, still frozen to the spot.

Frankly, she couldn't believe her eyes. From her short conversation with Vanille, Lightning had figured out Fang was alive and well, but she could never had imagined to find the fierce Pulsian huntress in a situation like this. If Lightning was being honest with herself, she didn't even want to ask Vanille about Fang directly - partly because she was afraid to find out that something bad had happened since Vanille was on her own...and partly because Lightning didn't really know how her new emotionless state will react to any reminder about Fang or what they once had. Yet here she was, dropped head-first in a situation she had tried so hard to avoid - confronting Fang in all her glory. Faintly Lightning remembered the confusion she had felt back before her return to the Ruffian village - now she realised it was absolutely nothing comparing to what she felt now. All the memories Fang's presence provoked collided with the cold emptiness of Lightning's heart - feelings that she remembered having, that should have been there...yet she could feel nothing. Instead, it felt like the memories were scraping at her hollow heart, desperately trying to find some proof of their existence, find some emotion to connect themselves to. Same like with projection of Serah in the Ark...yet this was so much worse, since Fang standing in front of her was very much alive and real and unlikely to disappear anywhere.

"What?! No hugs and tears for an old friend?" Fang continued, seemingly carelessly, moving in closer to Lightning and never letting her eyes off her.

Lightning released a breath she didn't even know she was holding in and looked into Fang's eyes. _All of us have changed so much during these long centuries...all, except Fang. Why am I not surprised?._.. Same cocky tone, same confident attitude, same bright green, piercing eyes that seemed to have an ability to strip Lightning's soul bare and see through any wall she had put up - something that initially had irritated Lightning to no end, but later turned out to be one of the reasons why she had let Fang get so close to her. _And, God, she seemed more beautiful than ever_...

Fang had moved into Lightning's personal space as if she owned it and stood mere inches from the shocked 'new recruit'. Whether by his own decision or some wordless order from Fang, Adonis had tactfully removed himself from the room, seeing that the two women obviously knew each other.

"It's been a long time, Light, hasn't it?" Fang continued in a slightly quieter tone. Suddenly Fang dropped her hand on Lightning's shoulder with enough force to make the latter wince. Startled, Lightning realised that, if she didn't count holding Snow's half-dead body after their fight, this was the first time someone had dared to touch her since she was woken up from her self-induced crystal prison. _It truly had been a long time..._

"Some little bird told me you've...changed. More than a mere human. You're on a mission from god now. Right, saviour?" Fang asked as she looked straight into Lightning's eyes again. Thankfully, Lightning had slowly started to gain back her ability to speak, though looking at Fang was still proving to be somewhat difficult.

"Huh...so you know who I am?" _Of course she knows... _

"Well, a mighty crime lord like me has to keep her ear to the ground, right?" Fang continued, her lips curling into a smirk that didn't really reach her eyes. "And, as I said...a certain little bird told me quite a lot of things about you."

Finally Fang let go of Lightning's shoulder and went back to take a seat in her chair, leaving Lightning standing awkwardly in the same spot she hadn't move from since entering Fang's room.

"So...you were with the Order, but ditched them in order to come out here and be a gang leader?" Lightning asked as she tried to clear a picture a little bit and find out what had happened and why Fang and Vanille had separated.

"Those priests aren't exactly my kind of people. I stuck around to look after Vanille, but then something else came up. I'm after the clavis now," Fang declared confidently.

Despite herself, Lightning couldn't stop a smirk appearing on her lips as she imagined Fang living in a cathedral full of devoted Bhunivelze's followers and how much damage she had caused before they had to kick her out. Keeping Fang in a church, they might as well have tried to trap a whirlwind in there...

"It's been sealed away for ages, though, and no one's got even close to it. I was beginning to think I'd have to give up," Fang babbled on, seemingly absent-mindedly, but still never letting her eyes off of Lightning. It was obvious Fang was trying to read her, like she always had, but...unfortunately for Fang, Lightning had become significantly harder to figure out. So hard that even the Saviour herself couldn't work out what was going on in her head any more, especially after today.

"But then you came along and worked your magic with that crux. So how about we team up? I want to get that clavis before the Order does. Help out a...friend, Lightning?"

Even under Fang's attentive stare, Lightning had collected herself enough to move closer to Fang and stand in front of the huntress. This was a very tempting offer...a bit too good to be true, so it made the Saviour cautious. Something was off, but for now, Lightning decided to play along - even if this was some sort of trap, she was more than capable to get out of any trouble, and also, today's events had left her so drained she didn't have the mental capacity to argue with Fang anyway. She'll have to go to the Ark soon, there she'll have an opportunity to think this through...hopefully. So she decided to take Fang's offer.

"How could I refuse an old friend? It'll be like old times. Right?" Lightning had moved close enough to Fang to notice the bandit leader desperately trying not to show how badly her hands were shaking. _Is she scared I was going to refuse her? _

"All right," Fang chuckled nervously as she fidgeted in her chair, then stood up and started pacing the room.

"I'll show you what we have on the ruins. We've got lots to talk about, you and I."

This, in turn, made Lightning nervous. She didn't want to discuss her present state of mind with anyone, least of all people with Fang. _How can I ever explain this mess to her without hurting her in the process?... _

Then a sudden realisation hit Lightning. Fang seemed to know a little too much to be informed only by clerics of Luxerion about their Saviour.

"Fang, wait...you mentioned a little bird...Did you mean...have you been talking to Lumina?!" she asked incredulously.

Slowly turning around to face Lightning, the brunette leaned against the tabletop and crossed her arms on her chest. A strange gleam appeared in her green eyes.

"Might have, yeah," Fang tried to keep her voice casual.

Lightning's breath got caught somewhere in her throat, and she mechanically clenched and unclenched her gloved fists. _I swear, one day I'm going to slap some sense into that demon child_.

"What did she tell you?"

"Oh well, y'know...things. Like a certain...agreement your mighty god has put up on you. And a price you had to pay for it." Fang got off the table and approached Lightning, who in turn now looked straight into Fang's eyes.

"Honestly, I couldn't believe that," Fang continued, her voice turning into almost a whisper, "didn't want to, more like." She lowered her eyes. "Light, you know damn well I've always been able to read you like an open book, no matter how many walls you built around yourself. I know that, you know that. You hated my guts for it at first, but later you...you told me you..."

Stopping in mid-sentence, Fang sighed sharply and turned her back to Lightning again. Absent-mindedly, the bandit leader started running her fingers over the smooth tabletop, as if the steady motion could somehow help her to think over what she wanted to say next. Lightning was somewhat relieved she didn't need to look at the huntress's face, realising that what she's about to hear from Fang is not going to be anything particularly pleasant. Without putting much thought to it, Lightning's gaze started wandering along the tall woman's back. _Just as I remember_. Wrapped in a beautiful, detailed sari, wrists covered in her tribal bracelets. Tiny braids adorning thick, shiny hair. Tanned skin, criss crossed with scars and tattoos with toned, powerful muscles beneath it. Lightning swallowed loudly, as she realised just how much she wanted to reach out and touch Fang, to feel the woman's smooth, warm skin under her fingertips... _Wait, why would I...?_ Lightning felt her face heat up at the realisation what exactly she was starting to imagine.

Suddenly Fang straightened her whole body, crossing arms over her chest and, startled from her line of thought, Lightning lowered her eyes and noticed goosebumps appearing on the brunette's skin, even though the temperature in the room was far from cold.

"Thing is...right now I could look at that blank wall right there, and get a better reading out of it than from you." The pain mixed with confusion in Fang's voice was so sharp it was almost palpable.

"So tell me, Saviour," Fang spat, glancing sideways over her shoulder, "what the hell have that bastard really done to you?..."

Scolding herself for the moment of weakness, Lightning instinctively took a defensive position, crossing her arms over her chest. With a desperate look in those gorgeous eyes, Fang was now visibly shaking from apparent tension in her whole body. Expressionless, Lightning looked at Fang now, and a thousand memories pushed themselves in the centre of her mind all at the same time - the curse of a l'Cie, meeting with Fang, how Lightning had hated her at first and, despite that, how quickly Fang had managed to earn her trust and even steal her heart in the process... Their first kiss, first time Lightning had dared to touch Fang... She remembered everything, but couldn't recall a single emotion connected with those memories. This was getting unbearable, it felt like Lightning's body is going to explode from the tension gathering somewhere deep inside of her. So she decided to stick to her usual tactics - try to choke it all down and keep as much of it inside as possible. Fang shouldn't ever had seen her like this in the first place, it is going to be better this way...

"Fang, listen...I can't really explain it and frankly, I don't want to. So please don't ask me things you don't want to hear me say. Lumina didn't lie to you, that's all I can tell. I will help you find the clavis, you don't have to worry about that. But please, Fang, don't pry. It's all I ask. All right?"

That sounded cold even to Lightning's own ears, but she couldn't stop herself. She couldn't get into this now, there was no time... Expecting Fang to tell her to leave now, Lightning closed her eyes and started to turn away to find the exit of this place. Instead, she felt a firm grip around her wrist, keeping her from moving and warm fingertips brushing against her cheek, slowly stroking along the jawline, moving over the neck and stopping against the saviour brand on the breastplate of her armour...right above her heart.

"It's really true then?...You've lost...all of it?" Fang asked in a soft, almost breaking voice, obviously still refusing to fully believe.

At this moment Lightning was starting to feel strange. Fang was standing so close to her, Lightning could feel the heat emanating from Fang's body, she felt the familiar, sweet scent of Fang's skin, she could even see her own reflection in Fang's stunning eyes. Before she could think this through and stop herself, Lightning slowly placed her hand on top of Fang's_. It felt so good to touch her again... _Utterly surprised, she also felt a familiar tension blooming and expanding somewhere deep and low inside her belly. _So, I can't feel any emotions, but you still leave me my physical desire? Is this some kind of a sick joke?_...

"It's true, all right," Lightning breathed, "so...now what?" The close proximity of Fang's body was overwhelming and the fair haired woman felt her cheeks to flush again. That must have cought Fang's attention, since the tiniest smile flashed the olive-skinned beauty's lips - the very same lips Lightning was now openly staring at, unable to tear her eyes away.

Fang appeared to have stopped breathing - just standing there, completely still, as if trying to come to a decision. Then suddenly she moved away from Lightning, freeing her hand from the shorter woman's grasp.

"Stay with me tonight, Light," she blurted out.

The bluntness of the statement caught Lightning completely off guard. Fang was known for always speaking her mind clearly, but this was a bit over the top even for her.

"I...uh..." Lightning stuttered.

"Listen, I'll only say this once, yeah? If you say you don't want it, we get the clavis as we agreed, you never see me again. No hard feelings, promise," Fang explained somewhat frantically, though the way she said it made Lightning completely sure it's not going to be so easy as 'no hard feelings'...

"But if you do want to...then stay with me, no more questions asked."

It felt like the time had ceased to flow, and Lightning experienced the worst inner battle she could remember. _How does she always do it? _dazed, Lightning mutely wondered to herself_. I was peacefully doing my duty as a Saviour all this time and nothing could shake me even a little. Then I meet her and my world is turned upside down in a matter of minutes... _

Despairingly trying to come to a decision, Lightning let the thoughts swallow her mind. Suppress and forget or just reach out and take it? _You can't. You can't, you're a Saviour, you have a job to do, there's no time... _Yet this could be the exact thing Lightning was thinking about earlier. Escape, even for a short time. _Be careful what you wish for, huh?..._ This was so selfish, but Lightning hadn't done anything selfish in a very_, very _long time, so what's the better time to start than at the end of all days?

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly reached up to remove her ear-piece. _Forgive me, Hope_... Opening her eyes, she locked her eyes with Fang's. "I have to leave at six in the morning."

The next second Lightning felt Fang's arms grabbing her waist, crushing her close while kissing her with almost brutal passion. The subtle warmth that had gathered in Lightning's belly now exploded like fireworks, tripling her heart rate and leaving her whole body tingling in anticipation. She let her fingers run into Fang's hair, pulling it none too gently, returning the huntress's kiss with equal passion. A soft moan escaped Lightning's mouth, erasing the last remnants of thoughts in her mind, thoughts that tried to remind her what a fool she was and that she's about to make a horrible mistake. _She had forgotten how good it felt..._

Lightning wasn't sure how much time had passed, but they gasped for air when the kiss finally broke. Fang was wearing the widest grin on her face, visibly gotten rid of most of her tension from before. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with tiny devilish flames as she moved forward into the room, holding Lightning firmly by the hand, concentrating solely on this simple task.

"C'mere. Wanna show you something," Fang said mysteriously, as she pushed on some secret compartment on the back wall, revealing an entrance and a vertical spiral staircase. Lightning looked puzzled, but Fang only continued smiling wickedly, and added, "Shall we, then?"


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Ladys' sexytimes ahead. Read at your own risk. Also, side note - I realise the setting is unusual, but hey, it's Final Fantasy world, so anything goes, right? :)

"Welcome to my secret bandit's lair," Fang grinned.

Astonished, Lightning looked around the room they had entered. The area seemed spacious, since it was nearly empty - it had no furniture save for an impressive bed with a couple of bedside tables, a shelf and what looked like a fully equipped weapon rack in the corner. Placed all around the room in their stands, candles were the only light source, their flames creating a continuous dance of light and shadows, reflecting on the roughly cut stone walls and making it appear as if the room was made out of crystal.

"Pros of being a leader, huh? A bed? Things must be tough around here," Lightning teased, but Fang didn't seem to be abashed by the sarcastic remark in the slightest.

"Haven't seen the best part of it yet, Saviour. C'mere," still not letting go of Lightning's hand, Fang continued to lead them farther into the room, towards yet another entrance and a small hallway leading them into the next area. As soon as Lightning followed Fang's suit and stepped over the porch, a wall of hot air and steam hit her.

"What...is this place?" she managed to choke out.

The room seemed to be about the same size as the bedroom, and illuminated with candles the same way, but there were no furniture in this room at all, in fact there was nothing in it apart from a large, square pool, carved right into the white stone floor and filled to the brim with water. Because of the scanty lighting and the thin clouds of steam that hung in the air it was impossible to tell just how deep it was - the water in the pool looked almost black, but it was visibly moving, as if the pool itself was in the middle of running water flow. Confused, Lightning was just about to ask where the water is coming from, before noticing a steady stream pouring through one of the openings in the far back wall, filling the pool and flowing away through another gap in the opposite wall.

Lightning had always accepted Fang to be utterly unpredictable, so she didn't even try to imagine where her hostess is going to lead her - yet seeing all this had left her speechless anyway.

Fang, on the other hand, looked very pleased with herself.

"Not bad, eh?" she boomed, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"Not bad?! How is this even possible? Did you order to make this?" Judging by the temperature in the room, the water must be scalding hot. _How could this even be real and how does Fang always to manage to get herself in situations like this?_

"Kidding me? I like to kill stuff, not make it!" Fang laughed. "Have you seen any of the ruins yet? Let me tell ya straight, those places are not made by mere men. I stumbled across this little gem shortly after moving in, so thought mighta use it. No idea why, but the water's icy cold during the daytime. Who knows who created them - gods, fal'Cie, don't really care." Smirking and turning to Lightning, she added, "Maybe we're even using Barthandelus's own secret hideout, at least that's what I love to think."

Lightning snorted a laughter at a ridiculous statement. "You really do think big sometimes, don't you, Fang?"

"Sure, yeah," the huntress stood in front of Lightning and slowly wrapped her arm around the shorter woman's waist. "Now...call me impatient, but as you well know, we don't have a lot of time on our hands, right?" she breathed.

Slowly reaching up with her free hand, Fang gently unsheathed the sword from Lightning's armour and unceremoniously placed it against the wall. Lightning felt her muscles tense up for a moment - she hated when anyone touched her weapons without a permission, but she decided to let it slide this time...and it was getting increasingly difficult to worry about swords when Fang's lips were leaving a fiery trail of kisses along Lightning's jawline, and strong fingers were running up and down her mostly bare back. The sensation seemed to hasten her already elevated heart rate, making her hiss in delight. Lightning felt herself being pushed against the wall, as Fang closed in to whisper in her ear, still not letting go of Lightning's waist, fingertips slowly stroking along her flanks.

"You mentioned you have to leave at six, and you will, Saviour, promise - we all have our own jobs to take care of," Fang's already deep voice seemed to have lowered even more, dripping with desire. "But I know how you can get. Always over-thinking everything, never letting go, eh? So..." she stopped talking for a moment to nip at Lightning's earlobe, then continued, "I have only one favour to ask of you... Forget about the world just for now. It's not gonna die if you do. In here, there's only you and me. For the next few hours, Saviour...you're all mine, and by all gods, Lightning...I want you..."

The possessive tone Fang used and bare admission of her desire seemed to resonate with Lightning's very essence deep within her, causing shivers of pleasure run down all along her spine. She reached out, grabbing Fang by the sari and dragging the taller woman's body even closer, locking their lips in a deep, passionate kiss. Lightning felt Fang's nimble fingers unbuckling the straps of her armour, and, without stopping to kiss her, Fang had managed to strip Lightning of her heavy shoulder guards, cape and gloves, earning a soft sigh from the thankful Saviour.

"Still don't get it how can you walk around in all those things," Fang chuckled after breaking their kiss and backing up a little bit. Lightning felt her face burning, more from the fire somewhere within her rather than the hot air of the room. Fang locked her eyes with Lightning's as she slid the sari over her shoulder, unbuckled the belt and let the garment slide off her body, pooling under her feet. Fang smirked, and in one more swift motion the black top covering her breasts was taken off. Lightning's throat went dry. It truly did feel like the rest of the world disappeared in that moment, and Lightning found herself unable to keep her eyes on anything else apart from Fang's body. _She looked marvelous_. Slowly, Lightning reached out and relished the unexpected chance to touch another human being with her bare fingers for the first time in centuries. She gently ran her trembling fingertips along Fang's eyebrow, down across her cheek, lining over the collarbone, finally stroking over the brunette's firm breast, cupping it and rolling her thumb over the hard nipple, causing Fang to sigh audibly and bite on her own lip. The woman's skin was so soft Lightning found herself to be afraid to touch it too roughly and hurt her, since she couldn't exactly be sure just how her new powers are going to manifest themselves in a situation like this. Fang, on the other hand, didn't seem to be concerned at all, as she reached out and started removing Lightning's breastplate - the heaviest piece of armour that Lightning could swear to have tripled in weight in the last few minutes. As the armour fell clattering on the floor, Fang took her chance and cupped Lightning's face in both of her hands.

"You're so beautiful, Light," she breathed and kissed her pink-haired lover slowly. Ever since their very first kiss all those centuries ago Lightning hadn't stopped being surprised at how unexpectedly gentle Fang was - something one would hardly guess judging by her rather rough upbringing and attitude towards life in general. It had taken the soldier off guard back then, but now she cherished the way it felt being back in Fang's arms.

Lightning let her eyes slide shut, as she felt Fang kissing the side of her neck, nipping at it gently, huntress's fingers never stopping stroking her naked torso. It felt wonderful, and Lightning wrapped her arms around Fang's waist, enfolding the taller woman in an embrace. The simple touch, skin sliding against naked skin, was overloading Lightning's body with sensations, and she felt her heart beating synchronously with the steady pulsing between her legs. Every kiss, every lick of their tongues, every nip on the pale, sensitive skin seemed to stoke the fiery desire inside of her, spreading to every single cell of Lightning's body. To make matters even more heated, Fang started playing with her lover's breasts, cupping them and squeezing lightly, pinching at the nipples. Lightning couldn't suppress a moan any more, she needed Fang to touch her, _now_. Still keeping her back against the wall, Lightning pushed her hips forward in hope to receive the contact she so desperately craved for, only to get a devilish chuckle from Fang.

"Oh, no you don't, Saviour," Fang suddenly backed off and flashed a smile, seductively licking her bottom lip. _Oh, Etro, help me, how does she..._

Perplexed by the sudden loss of having her arms full of naked Fang, Lightning continued to stand unmoving against the wall, gawking as her lover swiftly removed the rest of the clothing and lowered herself in the pool. Backing up against the farthest wall of the pool, she spread her arms along the edges of the basin. The water line splashed just below Fang's breasts, so the pool wasn't as deep as Lightning had thought before.

"Well, come on then, don't just stand there, get your butt in the water! This isn't going to be as fun with only me in here, trust me on that one!" Fang chuckled, clearly amused. With a deep sigh, Lightning pushed herself off the wall and stripped with such haste she was sure she ripped some part of her clothing in the process. Noticing the small stone staircase leading into the pool, she braced herself and started immersing her body in the water. It truly was very, _very_ hot, but as soon as Lightning's feet hit the bottom, involuntary sigh of pleasure tore from her lips. It felt like her body was on fire inside and out, tingling ligthly at every splash of water around her.

Fang smiled. "Told ya," she chuckled and moved closer to Lightning. "Now...where were we..." The pool was so large Fang had to make three full steps to reach Lightning's side, so the Saviour was more than happy to reach out and offer her a hand, just to get her lover back into her arms as soon as possible.

"_You_ were in the middle of frustrating me and testing my patience, bandit," Lightning shot with mock irritation in her voice, which only seemed to amuse Fang even more.

"Hey, that's boss to ya!" laughing, Fang reminded.

"Shut up," Lightning growled, taking the brunette by the waist and pulling her close. They kissed, slowly and vehemently, and Lightning felt the desire spreading through her whole being with double intensity. Wrapping her arms around Fang, she ran her fingers all along Fang's back, digging her nails into the sensitive, water-heated skin none too gently. She couldn't even imagine how intense that must have felt, and as if answering Fang let out a long, needy moan.

"Ahhh...yeah, right...point taken," Fang panted, kissing Lightning again and pushing her leg between the shorter woman's thighs, making her whimper in pleasure. Breathing heavily, Lightning accepted the contact, but it felt like the throbbing between her legs was only getting more intense. Fang was _still_ toying with her, and, as if proving the point, the huntress bit down and sucked on Lightning's neck, earning another loud whimper. This was getting unbearable.

"Fang...ahh...please..." panting, Lightning managed to choke out. Fang lifted her head and looked into Lightning's eyes, flashing the most innocent grin. A moment later, Lightning felt herself being held by the waist and lifted out of the water. Taken aback by the sudden movement, she didn't even manage to fully appreciate her situation - she was now perched on the very edge of the pool, with legs on either side of Fang. Leaning back against the floor with her arms, Lightning shot down a confused look at still grinning Fang. Before she could even think anything further, the world around her suddenly exploded...or at least it seemed that way, as she felt Fang's tongue slowly starting to move through the sensitive folds between her legs.

_Oh, gods...yes... _

Lightning threw her head back and didn't even try to suppress a moan; arching her back, she placed her left leg over Fang's shoulder, heel digging into the huntress's back, seemingly inviting the lover to come even closer. Every lick, every soft peck, every swirl of Fang's tongue seemed to destroy Lightning's all coherent thoughts one by one, leaving only physical pleasure to build up in her body. Lightning realised she had even lost all sense of time and space - it could have been hours since she stepped into this room with Fang, and, strangely, she had stopped caring about time. Whimpering loudly, Lightning reached out and let her fingers run through her lover's unruly, dark hair, messing it up even more in the process.

_Ahhh...how do you even...do...that..._

It felt like her body had gained a mind of its own, completely ignoring any commands Lightning might give to it, driven by pure lust and savouring everything Fang was doing to it. She realised she won't be able to hold out long like this much longer, and just as Lightning felt her spine to tense up so badly she was afraid it's going to snap, something deep inside of her gave away with the intensity of an explosion, creating a mass of soothing, white light. Lightning forgot how to breathe. With every ripple of her orgasm she felt the light spreading further through the whole body, filling it up and making her feel completely weightless.

She smiled softly, then gave in and let the white light swallow her completely.


	4. Chapter 3

It took Lightning a few seconds to come around.

"Light?" an anxious voice called out.

"Lightning, you all right?" The voice sounded muffled, as if coming from a distance.

She propped herself up in the bed and shook her head, attempting to clear it up. _Wait, bed? How did I... Oh no..._

"Ugh, finally! Y'know, you really got me a bit worried back there for a sec, you - ," but that was just about as far as Fang got.

"What time is it?!" Lightning interrupted in a voice that sounded almost like a growl to her own ears. It seemed like the whole world around her had its volume turned down, confusing Lightning's disorientated mind even further. She shifted her body in a vain attempt to get up from the bed - her muscles suddenly seemed like jelly, and the strange buzz in her whole... being definitely didn't help, either.

"Fang, I mean it, what's the time now?" _How could __I__ be so stupid?... To play around with __my __responsibilties like this?! _

Coldness and fury in her tone seemed to take Fang aback. She let go of Lightning's hand and stood up, looking as if Lightning had suddenly slapped her across the face. Again.

"Relax, Saviour, would ya? You're all right. It's a bit past four in the morning."

Lightning closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to clear the dizziness that reigned in her head. After a couple of moments, her breathing seemed to get more steady. Lightning looked up at the huntress, who was now openly staring her down. Fang was right, there's still time and no worldwide disaster is going to happen in the next couple of hours until six anyway. Not anything had to be a race against time, right? A tiny part of Lightning's mind wondered why would she suddenly try to justify her own actions - that never used to happen, she shouldn't feel guilt in any case. _Especially if__ it wasn't Fang's fault you decided to fool around like a complete idiot, so you might as well not lash it all out on her__, _she mentally scolded herself.

"Right. Fang, I'm... sorry," Lightning offered sheepishly, "I didn't mean to sound so..."

"What...? Like a heartless bitch?" the huntress finished the sentence bitterly, making Lightning lower her eyes.

Fang clicked her tongue. "So..._this_ is the real new, improved you, innit?" she asked rethorically and crossed her arms over chest, her whole body radiating tension and anxiety. It was unsettling to see the proud Pulsian so thrown off balance; what's even worse, Lightning couldn't dig up any meaningful response in her still lightly fuzzy mind. The uncomfortable silence dragged on.

"Well, then. So much for the happy reunion. That went well, didn't it?" Fang continued, with the same bitter tone in her voice, emphasized by a sharp smirk across her lips. Fang's green eyes seemed to burn into Lightning, as if trying to find any kind of explanation out of the Saviour.

"Fang, I..." Lightning began.

"No, y'know what, forget it. It doesn't matter, all right? I'm a big girl, I can handle it, don't you worry 'bout me, sunshine," Fang cut in, still smirking darkly and trying to sound assuring - though it was unclear whether she tried to convince Lightning or herself.

And there it was, all too obvious and familiar to Lightning - Fang's way of dealing with problems, downplaying it all and pretending nothing and no one can touch her. Lightning flinched, remembering the many times Fang had scolded her for the very same thing - the twisted way they both chose to deal with pain - Fang always tried to make everything seem like a big joke, while Lightning simply chose to ignore and forget, but essentially, it was the same damn thing after all. A pretty couple of hypocrites... What was it Sazh once dared to call them, 'two peas in the pod'? Definitely... Now, however, things had changed - unlike Fang, Lightning now didn't have to ignore the feelings - she couldn't feel them in the first place. _How ironic_. And unfair.

Yet the damage was done. Fang sighed and let her arms drop to her sides. It was evident she had forced herself to calm down somewhat - not a small feat for someone as hot-blooded as the fierce Pulsian. Lightning was still sitting on the edge of the bed, unable to move a single muscle under Fang's scrutinous stare. A part of her couldn't help but wonder how Fang always managed to concentrate her energy on a specific task before her - namely arguing with Lightning in this case, while being completely oblivious to all the marginal inconveniences around - like the fact that they still both were stark naked.

Fang shrugged and continued, her voice low and quiet, "Care to tell me what the flying hell exactly are you, Light? Because that trick you pulled off back there nearly gave me a heart attack, all right?"

Lightning's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh. Well...now I don't know whether I should feel embarrassed or extremely proud of myself."

Raising her eyebrow, Lightning noticed Fang's features relax a little bit, even a slight blush starting to colour huntress's cheeks.

"You, erm... The moment you... well, you started to... glow there for a moment," all but stuttering, Fang explained somewhat shyly.

"Excuse me...?"

"Glow! Y'know... Shine. Just for a moment. Like there's light coming from inside you, all of you. Told ya it nearly gave me a heart attack."

Lightning almost rejected this as something utterly ridiculous, but then Hope's explanation about Eradia came back to her. While still rather unlikely, it wasn't completely impossible. After all, when Bhunivelze enabled Lightning to collect Eradia, doubtful he predicted his Saviour will run into Fang... with all the physical consequences of it. What's even worse, Lightning remembered experiencing something...unusual, but she couldn't pinpoint as to what was it exactly - so there was no choice but to take Fang's word for it. All in all, it's not like she felt any worse - quite the opposite, actually. Even though her mind was still plagued by some doubts and uncertainty, physically Lightning felt as if she had just inhaled a lung-ful of crisp, fresh morning air after spending several hours in a stuffy room. She felt _lighter_... but for better or worse - that still remained to be seen.

Rubbing her hand at the back of her neck nervously, Fang added, "So I scooped you up and carried you here."

Lightning's eyes fluttered open and, shocked into silence, she gaped at Fang. _Now that's__ just beyond __embarrassing._She considered herself to be a lot of things, but a damsel in distress definitely wasn't one of them. Flustered, she shifted her weight awkwardly and reached up to brush off strands of hair that had fallen over her face. Despite feeling extremely uncomfortable, Lightning realised this was the best chance to smooth things up - she didn't want to waste the precious time arguing with Fang over things that were beyond her control and hurting her lover in the process. So she decided to swallow up her wounded pride (or, more accurately, she tried to imagine her pride being wounded, since she was unable to feel it at all), straightened her back, crossed her legs and flashed the most salacious grin.

"You carried me? How chivalrous of you, bandit queen."

Fang frowned in response as she regarded Lightning sceptically. It didn't look like the brunette was in the mood for jokes yet. Her green eyes reflected a hint of melancholy, her lips formed a hard line - an expression Lightning had witnessed only a handful of times, and it was completely uncharacteristic to Pulsian, who was always so brash and confident.

"You still didn't answer my question, sunshine. What and... why exactly are you the way you are?"

Lightning sighed. "Listen, Fang... I wish I could explain - trust me, I do, but it's not that easy, okay? Thing is I'm not even sure I know it myself," she added quietly. Suddenly the conversation with Noel came back to her mind. _Not sure if I'm even human any more. _Lightning hadn't really meant it back then, she said it just to discourage the Shadow Hunter, but now it actually made a lot of sense. "And you promised not to pry, remember?"

Fang was still watching, her gaze thoughtful. "Yeah... This used to be a lot less painful back in the day, huh? Our fun l'Cie times... I truly thought you trusted me enough to-"

"This isn't about trust, Fang! I cannot control it, there's nothing I can do about it, all right?" Lightning cut in sharply and pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn't handle this right now - a drama that she had literally no capacity to feel or process. "Listen, if you wish me to leave, I won't blame you and just leave. As you said...no hard feelings. Right?"

"No! No, don't leave," Fang exclaimed, vehemently shaking her head. "No more 'feelings talk', promise." Abashed, the huntress looked away, lazily running her long fingers through her unruly hair. A small chuckle escaped her lips.

"Look at me - a whimpy village maiden, crying over a heartache - I never used to be like this!" she paused thoughtfully. "This is all your fault, Light, you've ruined my heartbreaker's reputation, y'know. That's it, I'm blaming you for it," still chuckling sardonically, Fang concluded. Despite the unflattering comment, Lightning was relieved to hear sarcasm appear in Fang's tone. She knew very well Fang was far from contented, but anything was better than seeing her angry and hurt. _By me_, a treacherus little voice in the back of Lightning's mind unhelpfully added.

"Don't exaggerate, you're not crying yet," Lightning countered jokingly. Her voice turning softer, she added, "You never do."

The Pulsian snorted a laughter. "Oh, look who's talking now!" She placed one hand on her hip and Fang's familiar, devilish smirk slowly returned to her lips.

"Forgive me my manners, oh ye godly Saviour," Fang gestured a mock salute and winked as the named Saviour rolled her eyes, "but it seems I've forgotten to even offer you a drink. Though I reckon I'll blame you for that one as well - here I was all innocent, hoping to have a peaceful, long, hot reunion bath with you, and your impatience ruined all my plans!"

Lightning was ready to throw the first thing she could reach - a pillow would have been a victim in this case - at the vicious woman, but she stopped cold after hearing the genuine laughter break out from the Pulsian. Fang looked gorgeous no matter what, but seeing her laugh had always taken Lightning's breath away - that radiant smile, lustrous jade eyes with mischievous sparks dancing all over them - it all seemed like the very essence of who Fang was.

Mesmerized, the Saviour watched as the naked bandit leader turned around and slowly crossed the room to look for something behind the weapon rack. Despite herself, Lightning couldn't take her eyes off of her lover's magnificent body - ignoring and grudgingly accepting the fact that she couldn't feel anything towards the woman in front of her, physically she undeniably was still attracted to Fang. Lightning realized she's staring, and somehow she didn't really care, all her attention fixed on Fang's long, muscular legs and the almost hypnotic sway of those hips. The woman was definitely doing this on purpose, Lightning was suddenly convinced... Sometimes Fang's boldness truly knew no boundaries.

Suddenly Fang turned around, one hand on her hip, the other holding high a large, black bottle by its neck. She shook the bottle gently, making the liquid slosh inside.

"Some stuff, this. Nicked it from the god squad b'fore they kicked my sorry arse out," Fang chuckled, sounding entirely too pleased with herself.

Lightning felt her eyebrows shoot up in shock. "You...stole alcochol from the Luxerion cathedral? Fang, seriously... what is wrong with you?"

Fang threw up her hands in mock exasperation, still wearing the most impish grin. "What?! Had to establish my criminal record, didn't I? B'sides... those godly folk had some decent liquor stashed away, let me tell you that. I reckon they won't even miss it. And you're gonna love it, promise," she said mysteriously.

Before Lightning could muster a witty response about ratting Fang out to Bhunivelze and denying her soul an access to the new world because of the theft from the cathedral, Fang opened the bottle. The cork gave out with a loud _pop_ and Fang wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. The huntress returned to the bedside, still cluthing the bottle and leaning on Lightning's shoulder with her free hand, she climbed into Lightning's lap, straddling her hips and facing the surprised Saviour.

The unexpected movement and close proximity made Lightning's breath get caught up somewhere in the back of her throat. Fang smiled, obviously satisfied with the woman's reaction and leaned in even closer, her breasts deliciously pressing against Lightning's. Lifting the bottle slightly up, Fang winked again.

"Cheers, sunshine," she said simply and raised the bottle to her lips, taking a few gulps and handing the drink over to Lightning. Judging by the way Fang pursed her lips afterwards, the liquor had to be monumentally strong.

"No glasses. How charming, Fang. Is this the bandits' favourite way of drinking or the manners are travelling with you from Pulse?" Lightning observed sarcastically, enjoying the mock irritation flash over Fang's beautiful face.

"_Gran_ Pulse. Don't be such a bloody princess, yeah? I reckon it's more romantic this way," the bandit leader rebuked.

Lightning chuckled lightly before accepting the offered bottle. It was much heavier than it looked like, and because of the thick, black glass it was impossible to identify just what sort of drink was inside. She raised an eyebrow sceptically, but the challenge from Fang could never be ignored or rejected.

"Well...cheers, then," she closed her eyes and drank a healthy measure...and suddenly she felt like she had just taken a sip of pure fire. The alcochol truly _was _ungodly strong, and she felt the fiery trail it left all the way down to her stomach. By no means she was a lightweight when it came to alcochol, but this was just... _damn Fang_. Lightning couldn't stop a silent cough escape her throat, pressing the back of the hand to her mouth, as she shot an accusatory look at the other woman, who by now was flashing the most radiant, satisfied smile possible.

"Good, innit? Takes your mind off things...quick and painless," Fang commented as she relieved Lightning from the bottle and took another swig. By now the severe burning sensation in Lightning's mouth had receded, leaving an unfamiliar, slightly sweet aftertaste. Though the drink was something she definitely had never tasted before, it actually wasn't all that bad - and after all she _had _wanted a stiff drink after arriving to Ruffian earlier tonight. _Be careful what you wish for...again_.

An arm still propped around Lightning's shoulder, Fang leaned to the side slowly to put the bottle on the floor. As soon as Fang returned to her confortable position in Lightning's lap, the Saviour felt strong fingers under her chin, lifting it up and soft lips brushing against hers. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Fang's waist, letting the woman slowly deepen the kiss. Both of Fang's hands were cupping the back of Lightning's neck, pulling the spiky hair gently and making Lightning let a soft moan in her lover's mouth. Lightning's heart skipped a beat as she felt Fang's tongue brushing against her own. She eagerly savoured the sweet taste of alcohol they both now shared - in some way it made the kiss even more intimate, and Lightning gave in to blissful, warm feeling spreading slowly through her entire body.

A small grunt of dissatisfaction escaped Lightning's lips as Fang pulled back all too early for her liking. Looking up, she saw how flushed Fang's face had become, how her green eyes shone with pure lust, and closeness of their bodies allowed Lightning to feel how rapidly Fang's heart was beating. The Saviour traced her fingers along the length of the huntress's spine, making the latter to sigh happily and lean her forehead against Lightning's.

Light allowed a small grin appear across her lips. The woman in her arms was intoxicating in all the right ways, and in moments like these Lightning couldn't help but to ask herself - how would it all had turned out if things would have been different in the past, if they had met like two normal people, if... So many lost possibilities, so much wasted time. Lightning started to leave a trail of feather-light kisses across Fang's exposed throat, knowing all too well how it drove the huntress wild. _Still a couple of hours left then, huh?..._

"Y'know, Light..." Fang began, pulling back slightly and putting enormous effort to keep her voice steady, "blame it on my delicate age, but I think I've forgotten to tell you something." Fang shifted her body to press even closer to Lightning, reaching up to run her fingers through silky, slightly curly rose-coloured hair.

The huntress continued, as slowly as her shaky breath allowed, "You are by far the most unusual, stubborn, infuriating, tenacious..." She paused, smiling as Lightning lifted her eyebrow in confusion, "...the bravest, the toughest, the most beautiful woman I have ever...ever met." Fang cupped Lightning's cheek gently, letting the other woman lean into it in delight. Lightning didn't really know how to react to Fang's bold admission, so she simply closed her eyes and enjoyed the huntress's caress.

Suddenly, a completely different feeling overwhelmed all of Lightning's body - she felt strong fingers wrapping in an iron grip around her throat, choking her. Lightning's eyes fluttered open, her vision already blurred around the edges as she looked up at Fang in complete disbelief, only to see the other woman's eyes burning with cold determination.

"Fang... what... the hell are you... " Lightning gasped, struggling for air. She clawed at the hand around her neck, still completely shocked by Fang's unexpected move and unable to react.

The Pulsian's voice had turned down to almost a growl. "Now, _Saviour_... you listen to me carefully... "


End file.
